Vane.
Not only should not, but in our present state of development, cannot. The quatrain is the analogue of the Greek gem, the consummate flower of the national art of the period. It will take at least a century to perfect and exhaust it. Have you seen my book, "Three Quatrains"?
Denham.
No; have you published it lately?
Vane.
My dear Denham! I never publish anything. In a wilderness of mediocrity obscurity is fame.
Denham.
Yes, a well-advertised obscurity. But surely you have published poems?
Vane.
Where have you lived, my dear fellow? I breathe a poem into the air, and the world hears. If some one prints it, can I help it? One does not print, wake, and become famous; one becomes famous, and the world awakes, cackles, and prints one.